PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Duke breaks its third school record of the weekend in its final race of the 119th Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., Saturday, April 27. The men’s 4x800 meter relay team smashed the school record by over five seconds with a combined time of 7:20.97, finishing fourth overall in a competitive field. The team of freshmen Tommy Meister and Michal Filipczak, sophomore Kyle Moran and redshirt junior Curtis Beach combined for the record setting performance.

The finish was the highest Championship of America finish for a men’s relay team since 1972. Beach anchored the squad with the fastest leg by running a time of 1:48.37 while Filipczak clocked a time of 1:49.38. Moran ran a personal-best time of 1:50.18 while Meister led off the team well by running a time of 1:52.8.

The other men’s relay team that competed Saturday finished eighth in the 4xmile relay with a time of 16:37.52. Sophomore Brian Schoepfer ran the fastest leg of the quartet by clocking a time of 4:05.9. He was joined by seniors Mike Moverman and James Kostelnik and sophomore Nate McClafferty. The entire team’s time placed them fifth on Duke’s all-time list.

The women’s 4x800 relay finished in eighth place in a strong field with a combined time of 8:40.96. The team, consisting of senior Cydney Ross, junior Rebecca Craigie, sophomore Abby Farley and freshman Anima Banks, ran fast enough to sit third on Duke’s all-time list.